Josie's Press Vol. 2 Issue 3 May/June

Josie's Press Vol. 2 Issue 3 May/June

The new Josie's Press features the grand opening, of Muscoy's new capital improvement project, the Baker Family Learning Center. Flip the page to get Supervisor Gonzales' take on alternative energy initiatives in San Bernardino County. The Incredible Edible Community Garden makes its mark in the Fifth District and learn how to save your family some money with CAPSBC's home weatherization program. Turn to the back to read an insightful Q&A on air quality by SCAQMD's executive officer Dr. Barry Wallerstein.

In this issue
Incredible Edible Community Garden tends local goodwill see page 3 Baker&Family&Learning&Center&Grand&Opening&................&&1& Josie’s&Journal,&path&to&a&greener&county&............................&&2& Gardeners’&non@profit&takes&root&in&SB&County&................&&3& &Free&home&weatherization&saves&you&money&...................&&3& Q&A&with&SCAQMD’s&CEO&Barry&Wallerstein&....................&&4&
Unincorporated area’s first capital improvement project holds grand opening
fter breaking ground less than a year ago, Muscoy will see the County’s efforts towards community development come to fruition as the Baker Family Learning Center opens May 18. The 11,000 square foot joint use facility, which includes a preschool, branch library, community meeting room, computers and more, will be the first capital improvement investment of its kind in Muscoy. In the eyes of the Baker family, it could be said that a vision has been realized. “We are on our way to fulfilling Mr. Baker’s dream,” said Supervisor Josie Gonzales, who originally presented the project to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors in 2008. However, the project may have never been proposed if it wasn’t for Neal Baker’s one question to Supervisor Gonzales during the 2006 ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Muscoy Fire Department. Overlooking what was then just 2.23 acres of vacant land he owned at the corner of Darby Street and Macy Street in Muscoy, Neal Baker asked Supervisor Gonzales one simple question, “Do you want it?” For Supervisor Gonzales, the answer was an overwhelming yes. The same man known as a local fast-food pioneer for founding Baker’s Drive-Thru would also be known as fathering the birth of the first community building of its type in unincorporated Muscoy. “His generous donation, coupled with the creative ingenuity of our county departments, made this beautiful project possible,” said Supervisor Gonzales. Beautiful in that since Muscoy is an unincorporated area of San Bernardino County, it is not a separate legal entity and does not have a local concentrated government that cities like Rialto, Colton and Fontana have. Instead, unincorporated areas like Bloomington and Muscoy entrust county government to provide municipal services to the community. With San Bernardino County being the largest county in the nation, encompassing 24 cities in all, unincorporated areas can find themselves fighting for county resources and services that are already demanded at large. However, with one generous act of altruism from a local business owner, continuous support from the board, and the concerted effort of various county departments and staff, Supervisor Gonzales was able to help bring the Baker Family Learning Center to Muscoy. For more information about the Baker Family Learning Center in Muscoy, call (909) 387-2220. --Louis Penna
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ctrical the university’s total ele providing 28.8 percent of School in . Rim of the World High output during peak hours unique re made itself an even mo Lake Arrowhead recently e four sid ng four wind turbines alo campus when it installed lize uti to te sta first school in the solar panels, making it the ent sid pre ard bo l ording to schoo on-site wind turbines, acc Scott Markovich. ironmentally Moving towards an env t firs ans eric Am ond cultivating tive bey Na es hen the ative county go ov inn y the ucing our impact settled in San Bernardino, an energy; it is about red cle or a,” ham county ensures that called the area “G auc as well. That’s why the as e, tru s ain that rem ts are completed its buildings and projec “Land of Plenty.” Today th wi nty cou r ou within Energy and there are vast resources under the Leadership in do we y EED) standards, the wa the potential to reshape Environmental Design (L . ed liz rea be to yet is arning Center, business—some of which like the Baker Family Le by ed niz og rec s wa r Compliance. l Some of that potentia which meets LEED Silve the rt sta to ted ality Management ora Qu lab r uth Coast Ai So As the companies that col a m, (see page 4), nerating Syste Wind%turbines%at%RHS,% ict (SCAQMD) explains str Ivanpah Solar Electric Ge Di in t jec courtesy%of%Mike%Harris% e energy pro the outdated groundbreaking renewabl we are too dependent on e Energy urc tSo igh Br t of smog we see y, nke erg bla y En California. NRG fossil fuels. The gra of y log al rm hno the tec ar sol est reminder of the ate the larg Empire each morning is a and Google partnered to cre and Inl the r ove San in e her ht rld, rig a gasoline-powered power tower system in the wo sequences that come from st con t. ul ser mf De e har jav Mo the of rts ski 21 Century, newer and Bernardino County on the out As we move further into the . iety soc and ic nom eco the st replace the toxic fossil The project is an example of clean efficient technologies mu in re ing mo est inv by n gai to nd ne every day. environmental benefit we sta fuels we release into our ozo ve energy initiatives. We are thankful to ha t the project will nearly Besides the incredible fact tha like support from local rmal energy output, projects double the nation’s solar the re mo and businesses that are a e in Americ Ivanpah ensure jobs stay her n bee e hav s job committed to lowering Over 2,100 et importantly, in our county. of carbon emissions. Fle of construction. Over the life o wh created over the three years S, UP te e sta operators lik $300 million in local and et of fle c this overture, approximately tri ec -el to all utilize an providing electricity ile wh all , ted era gen be l taxes wil delivery trucks in MD, more than 140,000 homes. tive rna partnership with SCAQ from current alte ard nd Even with all of the benefit y. are setting the new sta to truly perfect this technolog n ca energy projects, we have yet for how businesses ompasses over 20,000 square s%a t%RHS,% San Bernardino County enc in ed duc uce their carbon pro Solar%panel red rgy ene is% ng ngi bri is ge llen f%Mike%Ha rr is miles, but the cha courtesy%o t are actually footprint. OmniTrans tha es mil are squ 450 the to outlying areas another champion for this in a way that does not arly populated. We must also do alternative energy. Ne compromise our desert y operate local/express route bus the of and e te nam rou the edin fix ry ent nm eve iro m an env d natural gas, making the is powered by compresse saving the environment. We of CNG vehicles. unity industry leader in the use should implore the opport onstrate is that it is lt What these companies dem and for similar systems to be bui m our overreliance on oil possible to break free fro n in our cities by utilizing Sa na. ole new energy are shift the paradigm to a wh ative rooftops and parking ern alt of ay be home to an arr Bernardino County can ated str structures. In addition to the on dem e hav esses. As we uld energy projects and busin to on number of local jobs it wo ati ov inn the ingenuity and ts in the past, we hold the create, bringing these projec nge nomic crisis. The challe eco t a ren ngs overcome the cur rtunity closer to home also bri po op s ou nd me tre a erstanding of us can also be seen as und of lic ad pub ahe r ate We gre . der in renewable energy lar%Electric% able Ivan pah%So to become a regional lea g the benefits behind renew ction% %a %in em st hnology, andsta pioneerin Sy Generatin g% have the resources, the tec energy. ry dy to lead a 21 Centu business community rea n we are going to produce 33 if l tica cri is y ckl right here at home, in Sa qui g tin Ac rces by 2020, ative energy revolution sou e ern alt abl ew ren h oug thr y percent of our electricit nor Bernardino County. ive order issued by Gover a standard set by an execut 32. l Bil bly sem As backed by Schwarzenegger in 2008 and rnia State University San lifo Ca n ow t’s The Fifth Distric rm,” n ground-mounted solar “fa Bernardino has built its ow
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Local gardeners’ non-profit takes root in SB County
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and the environment with CAPSBC
family!in!creating!a!cleaner!home!with!an!added!benefit!of!cost! savings.!It!keeps!containments!out!of!your!home!and!provides!for! better!air!quality!to!improve!your!home’s!durability.!Last!year,! CAPSBC!weatherized!4,180!home!and!assisted!13,789!clients!with! utility!payments.!If!your!family!qualifies,!CAPSBC!may!be!able!to! assist!installing!these!measures!into!your!home.! !!!!!This!is!just!one!of!the!programs!offered!by!the!Energy,! Education,!and!Environmental!Services!from!CAPSBC.!Within!this! program,!eligible!families!also!have!access!to!the!Home!Energy! Assistance!Program!(HEAP)!which!assists!in!the!payment!of! energy!bills.!These!services!aim!to!assist!lowGincome! residents!with!energy!conservation!and!provide!a! better!quality!of!life.! !!!!!CAPSBC!has!provided!services!to!the!lowGincome! residents!of!San!Bernardino!County!for!over!40! years.!Other!programs!available!from!CAPSBC! include!the!Family!Development!Program,! which!helps!families!that!are!in!need!of! emergency!assistance!or!transitional!housing.!The! services!they!offer!aim!to!improve!the!community! of!San!Bernardino!County!and!all!its!residents.! !!!!!For$more$information$on$weatherizing$your$home$ call$(909)$723;1688.$ 3 ! ! ! ! ;;Carissa$Cambare$
!!!!!Are!you!looking!to!save!money,!conserve!energy!and!help!the! environment?!With!a!few!adjustments!to!your!home!through! weatherization,!you!can!accomplish!all!three.! !!!!!The!Community!Action!Partnership!of!San!Bernardino!County! (CAPSBC)!offers!Energy,!Education,!and!Environmental!Services! that!includes!a!NoGCost!Weatherization!program.!Through!this! program,!lowGincome!families!can!have!energy!conservation! measures!installed!into!their!home.! !!!!!Examples!of!the!CAPSBC!program!include!attic!insulation,!duct! wrap,!lowGflow!showerheads,!and!household! recommendations!that!can!help!you!save! approximately!$600!annually.! !!!!!Most!of!the!fixtures!are!fairly!easy!and! can!be!installed!into!any!home,! condominium,!or!apartment! complex.!!For!attic!insulation,!the! installation!of!cellulose!is!placed!to! keep!the!heat!in!during!the!winter!and! out!during!the!summer.!Duct!Wrap!can!be! installed!around!heating!and!cooling! ducts!to!prevent!heatGloss,!and!lowGflow! showerheads!permit!for!nice!hot!showers! using!half!the!water!amount.!! !!!!!Home!weatherization!can!assist!any!
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Vol. 2 Issue 3
May/June 2013
Upcoming Events
High Desert Regional Job Fair May 15 @ 10:00 AM San Bernardino County Fairgrounds Building 1 14800 Seventh Street, Victorville Baker Family Learning Center Grand Opening Ceremony, FREE Baker’s Drive-Thru 2818 Macy Street, San Bernardino Serving Up Healthy, Eating Well & Exercising Smart Arrowhead Regional Medical Center Oak Room, First Floor 400 North Pepper Ave, Colton
Stater Bros. Market, 444. E. Baseline, San Bernardino Colton, Fontana and Rialto Police Departments Stater Bros Market 571 E. Foothill Boulevard, Rialto Survivor San Bernardino June 8 @ 8AM–3PM a County Guide to Disaster Preparedness Glen Helen Regional Park 2555 Glen Helen Parkway, San Bernardino 2 Annual Mega Pet Adoption Jerry Lewis Soccer Complex 33900 Oak Glen Road, Yucaipa
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When people fly into Ontario Airport, or come down Highway 330 from Big Bear, or drive west down the Yucaipa Grade on I-10 in the morning or at sunset, they see a brown haze and think “That’s not normal, that looks bad.” But the rest of the time many people tend to take it for granted and lose sight of the fact that smog is not only unhealthy, it's largely preventable. It's a significant public health problem, because poor air quality contributes to asthma and other respiratory diseases, heart and lung damage, cancer, and even premature death.
June 8, 9 @ 10:00 AM
The air in San Bernardino County has improved greatly in recent decades, but it's still among the worst in the nation. Our region's 'basin' geography, limited air circulation, lots of sunshine, and lots of vehicle emissions all work toward smog production. Simply put, even today's improved air conditions are still making us sick, and we need to work together to achieve standards for healthful air. We help create that smog ourselves, and we can clean it up—by advancing to clean energy and clean technologies that prevent air pollutants from ever occurring in the first place.
One of SCAQMD's innovations is to use incentivizing 'carrots' instead of just regulatory requirements. One example that's coming up soon is the SCAQMD’s annual Electric Lawnmower Exchange, where residents can bring in their working gasoline powered mowers, and trade them in for purchase of a new, heavily discounted, battery powered cordless mower. Each dirty gasoline-powered mower exchanged is equivalent to taking 40 cars off the road, in terms of cleaning up emissions—it's a small step with a big payback for clean air. This has been an extremely popular, successful program, all voluntary. Another example: the SCAQMD has a pilot project in the City of San Bernardino called the Clean Communities Plan (CCP). For more information on the CCP initiatives, call (909) 396-2000.
Contact us at (909) 387-4565
Email: supervisorgonzales@sbcounty.gov Website: www.sbcounty.gov/gonzales
San Bernardino County businesses and fleet operators have really 'stepped up to the plate,' becoming a vital part of the growing “clean transformation” in the goods movement system. Let me give just a few examples: A-Z Bus in Colton markets clean burning natural gas buses that are great for the air, great for low-cost CNG (compressed natural gas) fuel that can save school districts money, and significantly reduce students' exposure to diesel exhaust. In turn, school districts such as Colton Joint Unified have taken advantage of SCAQMD co-funding incentives to upgrade their bus fleets. Agility Fleets in Fontana offers CNG and LNG engines, full maintenance services, and conversions. They've been very responsive to the spike in interest in natural gas as a cheaper and cleaner fuel than diesel. Rush Trucking in Fontana helps independent truckers and large fleet operators figure out what kind of funds are available to replace their older diesel engines with newer and cleaner diesel engines. UPS in San Bernardino is running all-electric delivery trucks, as part of a 100-truck joint project with the SCAQMD. UPS has also been using clean burning Natural Gas for years - - they use a variety of low-emission solutions, depending on route demands.
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Visit www.sbcounty.gov/gonzales to read the full Q&A with SCAQMD’s Executive Officer Dr. Barry Wallerstein!